Maricopa County escaped inmate caught

PHOENIX -- Deputies from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and Phoenix police officers have caught an inmate who escaped from custody Wednesday morning.

The inmate is 39-year-old John Todman.

Law enforcement officers caught up with Todman at his girlfriend's home in the area of 21st Avenue and Adams Street.

Phoenix police Sgt. Trent Crump said Todman was found hiding under a bed in a home during a search of the neighborhood where the stolen vehicle was abandoned.

Crump says Todman will be a treated at a hospital and then rebooked into custody. Crump says a police dog bit Todman while dragging him out from under the bed.

Todman escaped while he was being transported to Maricopa Medical Center for medical care.

"He was being transported to the hospital to go for a medical appointment when he was let out of the back of the van he threw crutches at sheriff's officers and then fled and found this vehicle that was running unoccupied. Jumped in it and stole it at that point," said Lt. Brandon Jones with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

The vehicle was a delivery van that was in the hospital parking lot.

Todman ditched the stolen vehicle and was believed to be getting around on foot.

He was last seen in the area of Monroe Street between 19th Avenue and Interstate 17, near the State Capitol.

Police set up an extensive perimeter from Van Buren Street to Jackson Street and Seventh Avenue to I-17, and were asking people to avoid the area.

"We consider him to be dangerous because of the past charges that he had," said Sgt. Trent Crump with the Phoenix Police Department. "So we have this area blocked off. We have tactical teams from the Sheriff's Office and from the Phoenix Police Department in this neighborhood right now looking for the suspect along with some air support."

Todman was in custody on armed robbery and weapons charges.

"He does have a previous history of being incarcerated so there's a pretty good chance that he doesn't want to go back and he will be violent," Jones said.

Stay with azfamily.com for more information about Todman's capture.

Sheriffs deputies along with Phoenix police are working to locate an inmate that escaped from a medical transport earlier this morning.